Question: Simplify the following expression: $a = \dfrac{-4q}{8} + \dfrac{-10q}{8}$
Since the expressions have the same denominator we simply combine the numerators: $a = \dfrac{-4q - 10q}{8}$ Combine like terms: $a = \dfrac{-14q}{8}$ Simplify by dividing numerator and denominator by 2: $a = \dfrac{-7q}{4}$